Sodding composition and method of making same.



PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

0 E. A.,KANST. SODDING COMPOSITION AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12. 1904.

.NO MODLL.

Patented November 29, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN A. KANST, OF CHICAGO, ILLINGIS.

sooome. COMPOSITION AND' m sTHonoF MAKING SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,246, dated November29, 1904. Application filed February 12, 1904. Serial No. 193,328. (Nospecimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN A. KAivs'r, acitizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented anew and useful Sodding Composition and Method of Making'theSame, of which the following is a specification, reference being had tothe accompanying drawlngs.

' My invention rela es to the production of sod or analogous growths,and has for its object to provide a new and improved composition capableof being applied to the soil after the manner of sod for securingquickly a thick growth of grass, &;c., in the place where thecomposition is'set and which, further, will be of such character that itmay be readily manufactured in large quantities and safely handled,stored, and transported. I

To this end myinvention includes not only the composition, but also theprocess or method'by which it is produced.

My new and improved sodding composition consists of manure withgrass-seed .sprinkled upon or embedded in it and the whole dried. Thefinished composition is in theform of a thin sheet from a quarter to ahalf-inch in thickness, the sheets beingof an y'desired size,

so as to be readily susceptible of transportation and storage.

The composition is used by placing it on the ground in the place wherethe growth of grass is desired. The composition is then thoroughlysoaked, causing the grass -:seed to sprout, the manure providing therequisite -fertilizer, so that in a short time a thick growth of grassis secured.

As a further improvement in the composition I provide on the under sidethereof a strengthening-backing of paper or other material, which willnot interfere with the downward growth of the grass-roots, but is firmenough to prevent material disintegration of the mat of composition. Thebacking serves to .hold the composition more firmly together and preventit from crumbling.

I prefer to use cow-manure for the composition; but any other suitablematerial may be employed.

In making the composition the manure is first ground, preferably in anordinary sausage-machine, so as to form a homogeneous finely-dividedmass. Sufficient water is then added and mixed with the material, sothat it" flows, easily, the mass being thoroughly mixed to aunlformconsistency. The resulting fluid mass is then poured upon a finewire screen,

being spread out to a uniform thickness, and

is rolled with a wire-screen roller or other suitable device to level itand spread it uniformly over the screen. The seed is then sifted on thesurface of the mass, which'is then again rolled to embed the seed in thesurface of the manure. The mass is then dried, preferably at atemperature of about 13.0 Fahrenheit. The temperature may, however, bevaried considerably, but must not be raised high enough to damage theseed. Where it is desired to use a backing, the backing material isspread upon the screen and the liquid manure poured upon it. I

Where soil is to be added, it is mixed with the manure before-the latteris ground, the grinding serving also to further mix the materials. Thequantity of soil added depends of course upon the richness of themanure, but ordinarily varies from one-fourth to onesixth by weight.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pieceof my improved composition, and Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof. 4

Asillustrated in the drawings, (1 indicates the strengthening-backing, bthe mass of manure or manure and soil, and 0 the seed.

While my invention is designed primarily for securing a growth of grass,it may also be employed for the planting and germination of othersimilar seeds. As it may be readily transported and applied to soil, myimproved composition, which may be termed "dormant turf, is peculiarlyadapted to securing a growth of grass on small plots, such ascemetery-lots and graves, and in all other situations where a largeexpanse of ground is not present, such as would make it peculiarlyadvantageous to sow seed in the ordinary manner. Furthermore, thecharacter of the composition is such that it retains moisture for a longtime, making it unnecessary to sprinkle the seed frequently while thegrass is'starting, and besides it imparts a ichness to the underlyingsoil which improves the quality of the grass and securesapermanent turfwhich is easily cared for and may be readily renewed, when worn. 7

I am aware that it is not new to provide a mat of undried manure withpocketsextending therethrough and designed to contain seeds, andtherefore do not claim the same.

. My improved product differs materially, howmany respects.

ever,'from the prior product referred to in In the first place, in saidprior product the manure is not dried. Consequently the seeds are apt togerminate pre-f matu'relyas, for example, when the mat is storedtherebydestroying the composition. With my product, however, this danger isavoided, since the manure is dried, and consequently the seeds may bekept as long as desired without danger of germinating. Again, it isimpracticable in a commercial sense to formarnat of manure havingpockets extending therethrough, since the expense attending itsmanufacture is prohibitive. Besides, the existence of the pocketsweakens the mat and seriously interferes with its firmness and thefacility with which it may be handled. This also is not true of myimproved prodnot. A further objection to the prior product is that theseeds being placed in pockets extending through the mat must derivetheir nourishment from the soil beneath the mat rather than from the matitself. In my prodnot, however, the seeds being embedded in the matgerminate therein and grow independently of the soil below the mat untilthe rootlets extend beyond the mat into the soil.

That which 1 claim as my invention,-and desire to, secure by LettersPatent, is

1. A sodding composition, consisting of a sheet ofdried manure havingseed embeddedmass in the form of a sheet, substantially asdescribed.

4:. The method of making a sodding composition which consists inspreading manure in the form of a sheet, sprinklingseed upon it, anddrying the mass, substantially as described.

5. The method of making a sodding composition which consists in mixingsoil and ma-' nure, spreading the same in the form of a sheet,sprinkling seed thereupon, and drying the mass, substantially asdescribed.

6. The 'method'of making a sodding composition which consists in addingWater to manure, spreading the same out in the form of a sheet,sprinkling seed upon the surface thereof, passing a roller over thesurface of the mass and drying the same, substantially as described.

7. The method of making a sodding composition, which consists inspreading manure in the form of a sheet upon a suitable strengtheningbacking, distributing. seed over the mass, and drying the same,substantially as described.

EDWIN A. KANST.

Witnesses:

l-innnn M. COLLIN, ALBERT H. ADAMs.

